Shipwrecked Harts
by teachinEnglish
Summary: Someone wants the Harts out of the way and will go to any length to accomplish his/her goal. Can the Harts survive the sinking of the Romance?


The bow of the _Romance_ was sinking quickly. Jonathan made sure Jennifer's life jacket was secure, checked his own, and threw the life raft pod into the ocean. After yanking on the painter line, he heard the raft hiss as it filled.

"Darling, we have to jump."

She kissed him quickly. "As long as it's with you."

"Ready?" Jonathan asked, grabbing his wife's hand and locking eyes with her as he counted to three. She nodded hesitantly.

"One. Two. Three."

They took a deep breath and leapt toward the tiny raft that bobbed in the inky dark waters of the Pacific Ocean.

**72 hours earlier**

Jonathan signed his name with efficiency to the contract and stood to shake Henry Tinsen's hand. The new deal between Hart Industries and Tinsen Telecommunications was a profitable one for both sides.

"Henry, I'm glad you came to me with this idea. I'm excited to see all the new things our companies can come up with together."

Tinsen shook Jonathan's hand enthusiastically. "Me too. I just never felt right about the proposal that Andrew Jacobson brought to me. I'd always intended to come to you, but he caught me first. I hope I didn't cause any waves for you."

"Don't worry about it. Drew and I have always butted heads when it comes to business. We'll continue to do so with or without you."

At the door, Henry turned one last time. "I'll have those new proposals for you Monday."

Jonathan shook his head. "No rush. Jennifer and I are leaving tomorrow on a cruise for our anniversary. If you want to get things started though, you can bring them in and show them to Charles Bidwell. You remember him, right?"

"I do. You and your beautiful lady have a great trip. Happy Anniversary."

"Thanks. See you when I get back." Jonathan poked his head out his door. "Deanne, can you come in here for a minute?" He seated himself casually on the corner of his desk.

"Yes, Mr. Hart?"

"It's the end of your first week back. How are you feeling?"

His secretary smiled tiredly at him. "I'm doing pretty well. Audrey is a really good baby, but it's tough to leave her, even if it is just downstairs. I don't know if you know how much it means to all of us in the building that you opened the childcare center here."

"Well, there was a need, and it's a good service I can provide to keep the people who keep me in business happy."

She smiled at him but hesitated before her next thoughts. "Mr. Hart, I just want to tell you how sorry I am for what happened with Meredith while I was on maternity leave."

Jonathan smiled genuinely at her. "It's not your fault, Deanne. No one knew what she was up to."

"I know. It's just that I recommended her."

He waved that thought away. "Don't worry about that. She was good at what she did until greed swayed her."

"Thank you. I'm really glad that Mrs. Hart never believed any of it."

"Me, too, which is why I'm anxious to get her alone for a while." He stood, indicating that he was ready to end the conversation. "I'm done for the day, and since it's a Friday, why don't you take off a couple of hours early? Spend some extra time with that sweet baby girl of yours."

"Thanks, Mr. Hart. Have a good time on your cruise. We'll hold down the fort here."

"I know you will." Jonathan gathered his things, made sure his desk was in order, and handed a stack of files to Deanne on his way out. "To be done on Monday. Have a good weekend."

She smiled up at him. "You, too, Mr. Hart."

...

On his way home from the office, Jonathan stopped by Sylvia's Place to buy Jennifer some flowers before swinging by Barwood's Fine Jewelers to pick up her anniversary present.

He was in an excellent mood when he came through the front door almost two hours earlier than he'd planned. "Max, Jennifer? Anybody home?"

Jennifer greeted him in the foyer. "What a great surprise. What are you doing home so early?"

"I couldn't wait to see my gorgeous wife." He pulled the flowers out from behind his back.

She kissed him. "Aww. Darling, these are beautiful. Thank you." She breathed in the delicate fragrance of the bouquet before giving him another kiss.

"My deal went through without a hitch, so here I am."

Jennifer slid an arm around his neck as she held the flowers with one hand. "The one with the telecommunications company?"

"That's the one."

"Darling, that's great." She kissed him again for congratulations.

He took a sniff of the air. "Something smells wonderful." He nuzzled his wife's neck. "Other than you. You always smell amazing."

"Well, thank you very much." Jennifer hooked her thumb toward the kitchen. "I asked Max to make your favorite for dinner. I figured since he gets some time off while we're away, I'd put him to work tonight."

"You do realize that you're actually my favorite thing to have for dinner, right?" Jonathan trailed his lips along the hollow of her neck.

She just shook her head at him. "Jonathan." She turned toward the living room. "How about if I fix you a drink before dinner?"

"That sounds perfect."

They walked to the bar hand in hand. She placed her flowers on the polished wood surface and poured him a Scotch on the rocks.

"What happened around here all day?"

"Nothing too exciting," she looked up at him, a self-satisfied smile on her face, "other than getting the proposal for my new book approved."

"Hey, that's terrific."

She brought his drink around the bar and handed it to him, but he set it down and took her in his arms. "I think so. I told Marcia that I couldn't get started for a couple of weeks, though, and she was fine with that.

A small smile stole across Jonathan's face. "What are you doing for the next couple of weeks?"

She laughed. "I don't know. Somebody won't tell me." She poked him a bit and made him jump.

"Mr. & Mrs. H., I got some appetizers ready if you want 'em."

Jennifer grabbed her flowers and took them to the kitchen on the way to the terrace. Max had a vase waiting. "I'll arrange these while you and Mr. H. eat."

"Thanks, Max."

Appetizers ran into dinner time as the Harts enjoyed sitting outside in the late fall evening.

During dinner, Jennifer tried to get at least a little information from her husband. "Darling, how am I supposed to pack if I don't know where I'm going?"

"Who said you need clothes?"

"Jonathan."

He laughed at her indignation. "Well, you know we're going on the _Romance_. You know that we're leaving from Los Angeles. We're obviously not going somewhere cold."

She just glared at him. "Jonathan, you're patronizing me."

He took his hand and kissed her fingers. "Have I told you how cute you are when you get frustrated with me for it?"

"If you think you're going to charm your way out of this, Buster, you should think again."

"Is it any wonder I'm in love with you?" He set his napkin on the table and stood, offering her his hand. "Are you finished with dinner?"

Jennifer placed her hand in his. "Yes."

"Good. Come with me." They walked through the kitchen. "Dinner was great, Max. Thanks."

"Don't you two want dessert?"

Jonathan grinned mischievously. "Yeah, but the dessert I have in mind burns calories."

"Jonathan!" Jennifer shook her head, and her husband smirked as she turned an adorable shade of red. "Maybe later, Max."

"But Mrs. H., you had me make it special."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Maybe we can take it with us tomorrow."

They left Max shaking his head at Freeway. "I never know if they're coming or going. C'mon, Freeway. Let's clean up the dishes."

Jonathan led Jennifer upstairs to their room. He got out both their suitcases and began to pack his.

"Darling, what are you doing?"

He stopped and looked at his confused wife. "We're playing Jonathan says. Whatever I pack, you pack."

"Oh, this is silly. Why don't you just tell me where we're going and make it easy?"

He gave her a baffled look. "When in our marriage have I ever made things easy?"

She laughed. "I can't argue with that."

Their suitcases were almost full, but at one point, Jonathan came out of the closet with one of Jennifer's evening gowns.

"Darling, that's not your color. If you're going to take one of my dresses, choose one of the black ones."

"Very funny. This will look perfect on you."

She sauntered up to him. "Oh? What will I be wearing it for?"

He lips brushed gently against hers. "For one of your surprises."

Shaking her head, she took the dress and hung it on the hook by her closet. When she turned around, she spun right into Jonathan's arms.

"Well, what little game do you have in mind now?"

"We're still playing Jonathan says." When his wife gave him an indulgent smile, it reminded him how much he loved that she played along with all his crazy ideas. "Jonathan says you need to kiss him."

Jennifer threw her arms around his neck and laughed. "And what happens if Jennifer doesn't want to kiss you?"

He narrowed his eyes and closed the space between them. "Oh, she wants to kiss me."

She leaned in just slightly and pressed her lips to his. "What if she wants more than just a kiss?"

Jonathan deepened the kiss and let the passion of what his wife could do to him wash over his body. "Then we'll change the game to Jennifer says."

Her eyes sparkled with the fact that she'd just won exactly what she wanted. "Jennifer says to tell her what your plans are for our anniversary trip."

He threw his head back and laughed. "I should have seen that coming, but you absolutely muddled my brain." He gave her a smacking kiss. "That was very good, Darling, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the penalty for not doing what I'm told."

"Spoilsport."

"Somehow I think I'm still going to come out the winner in this game."

"Darling, I feel like we both always manage to win when we play our little games."

...

The next day, the Harts finished unpacking the groceries and stowed the last of the things they'd brought with them on the_ Romance_ for their adventure. Beyond that, Jennifer still knew nothing about where they were going or what her husband had planned for their anniversary.

She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Darling, can't you at least give me a little hint as to what you've got planned for me now that we're on board?"

He pulled her close and kissed her gently. "Do you want a hint for the plans with or without your clothes?"

She just shook her head and laughed. "Jonathan."

Giving her a kiss on her neck, he whispered in her ear, "I plan to take you dancing and make love to you as often as I can." He pulled back and gave her a curt nod. "There, now you have two hints." He winked at her and headed above deck to make sure the rigging was secure and the life raft was in working order.

Jennifer pressed a hand to her belly. She knew that with Jonathan Hart, she would always get butterflies when he looked at her that way.

He was just starting to motor away from the pier when she made her way topside. Joining him at the helm, she stood with him as they pulled out into the harbor.

"How long until we get to our first port?"

He kissed her temple. "About five hours."

A smile bloomed across her face, and Jonathan's heart expanded. Just when he thought he couldn't love her any more, she looked at him like that, and he fell all over again.

"Are we going dancing at the Catalina Casino?"

"Um-hm."

She gave him a sideways squeeze. "You know I've always wanted to go there, right?"

His smile broadened. "Um-hm."

"Is this little anniversary cruise going to be full of fun surprises like this?"

Jonathan's eyes were twinkling with everything he knew and Jennifer didn't. "Um-hm."

She narrowed her eyes. "Darling, it isn't nice to keep secrets from your wife."

"Not secrets, Darling, surprises. And you love them."

She conceded with a nod of her head. "Yes, I do." She pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too. Are you hungry? I can put a little something together from the galley."

"That sounds terrific. We won't get into port until about 5:30. I've got dinner reservations for 7:00, so we have time to get cleaned up and changed."

Putting the tray together in the galley, she felt when they passed through the break wall. That little bump of leaving the smoother waters of the harbor for the rougher waves of the open water thrilled her every time. At 71 feet, the_ Romance_ handled the ocean just fine, and her husband was an expert sailor, so she never worried, even if the ride got a little bumpy. It wasn't any different than hitting a little turbulence in the Gulfstream.

Jennifer came back a few minutes later, holding a tray filled with fruits, cheeses, pâté, and crackers. She also had a bottle of wine and two glasses. She filled them and again joined Jonathan while he steered.

"What shall we drink to?"

He took his glass and held his wife's eyes. "Well, I know that our anniversary is still a couple of days away, but we're celebrating it this whole cruise, so 'To another year of adventure, love, and laughter with the most beautiful woman in the world'."

She just shook her head as he clinked his glass to hers and drank. After taking a small sip, Jennifer held her glass up to her husband's. "To another year of that silver tongue of yours and figuring out how to manage all this love I have for you."

He leaned down and kissed her. "That was very nice."

"So was yours." She gave him another little buss on the cheek.

As they sailed, they talked about Jonathan's deal and the direction Jennifer had planned for her book. Trips they might take were discussed, as well as what to do for Max's birthday. While it wasn't until December, they always liked to do something special for him.

Before they knew it, they'd sailed into Avalon Bay.

Jonathan was on deck in his tuxedo, waiting for Jennifer to finish getting ready. He turned when he heard her coming up from below deck. Offering her a hand, he steadied her so she could slip into her heels. He tracked his eyes from the top of her head to the toes of her shoes, taking in the royal blue floor-length halter, the sapphires and diamonds winking on her ears and wrist, and the long slit that showed off most of her left leg, making him want to march her right below deck again.

When Jennifer noticed that look in his eye, she gave him her, "not yet, Buster," look, which had him grabbing her hand and stifling a smile.

"Darling, you look gorgeous." He spun her so he could admire her from all sides.

She kissed him gently. "Thank you. You look pretty good yourself." She smiled at him as she adjusted his tie. "There. Now it's perfect."

Even though he'd already gotten her warning look, he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his mouth to hers for a slow, seductive kiss. "We have about 45 minutes until we need to be at the restaurant."

Her laughter always enchanted him. "Darling, I did not just wiggle into this dress to have you take it off of me five minutes later."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Care to show me how you wiggled into it?"

She laughed again. "No, but I'll show you how I wiggle out of it at the end of the night."

Jonathan's eyes smoldered as he kissed his wife senseless. He traced his finger down the vee of her cleavage and back up again. "That's a sight I can't wait to see."

He held out his elbow to her, and she threaded her arm through his as they headed down the pier to the restaurant. They enjoyed dinner on the beach before heading to the Casino for a night of dancing in the world's largest circular ballroom.

"Darling, this is beautiful. The pictures I've seen don't do it justice."

Gazing at his wife, he answered her. "Pictures won't ever do justice to true beauty."

She looked at him and just shook her head before giving him a sweet kiss. "You spoil me."

"You deserve it."

As Jonathan led Jennifer onto the dance floor, he spun her a couple of times, making her laugh. The band was currently playing a slow song from the 20s, so he pulled her close and placed a kiss on her temple.

She felt him sigh before he spoke. "We don't do this often enough. Dancing with you is one of my favorite things."

"Mine, too. Maybe we should add this to our date night list."

He pulled back to look at her. "We have a date night list?"

She couldn't hold back her smile. "When we aren't being chased by embezzlers, mobsters, and murderers, we do."

"Hmm. Then we definitely need to add dancing to the list."

Just when he'd pulled her close again, the band switched into a snappy little jazz tune. Without missing a beat, the couple found the rhythm, and Jonathan led Jennifer around the dance floor. A little out of breath after two jazz numbers and a swing dance, they made their way to a table and ordered drinks.

Their order arrived, and they clinked glasses. As they sipped, a gentleman approached them. He didn't take his eyes off of Jennifer. "You're a woman a man can't help but notice, and you're an excellent dancer. Will you join me for the next one?"

Jennifer looked from the stranger to her husband and back. "I'm flattered, thank you, but my dance card is full for the evening."

He took her hand and kissed it. "If you change your mind, I'll be near the bar."

With that, he left, and Jennifer turned to Jonathan with a confused look on her face. "Well, that was strange."

Jonathan was smiling at his wife as he took her other hand and kissed her fingers. "Not as strange as you may think. Half the men in this ballroom were mesmerized by you when we were dancing earlier."

She shook her head slightly. "Jonathan."

"I'm not kidding. You're gorgeous, and that slit up your dress is quite tantalizing."

She couldn't hold back her laugh. "Maybe I should go tantalize you some more."

"Just don't make me fight off too many other men, all right?"

...

It was close to midnight as Jonathan and Jennifer made their way back to the_ Romance_. There were flowers on the deck when they returned.

Jennifer turned to her husband. "Darling, these are beautiful, but you shouldn't have. Thank you."

He shook his head. "I didn't."

There was a card tucked in between the stems, so she pulled it out and read it. "To the most beautiful woman in the ballroom tonight. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to dance." Jennifer handed the card to Jonathan. "It's not signed."

He looked around, wondering if whoever dropped off the flowers was waiting somewhere, watching to see Jennifer's reaction. Seeing no one, he helped her onto the deck before they headed down to the cabin for the night. The flowers, with an undetected tracking device buried between the plastic wrap and florist's paper, were left near the railing on the bow.

"Darling, I don't like the idea that whoever sent me those flowers knows how to find us. I never gave the man my name. How did he know which boat is ours?"

He tried to reassure her. "I'm sure it's nothing. We're shipping out tomorrow anyway, so we won't be bothered anymore."

"Darling, your words say one thing, but your eyes say something completely different. You're worried."

He shook his head slightly. "Not worried. Not really. I'm just going to be a little more observant tomorrow when we set sail."

Jonathan took Jennifer in his arms and rubbed his hands up and down her back. "Now, if I remember correctly, my favorite dance partner promised me a dance of a different sort before we went to dinner."

She tipped her head back and laughed as she rocked her husband with a kiss.

...

The next day, they spent the morning golfing at the Catalina Island Golf Course and the afternoon wandering the shops before heading up the coast to Two Harbors. Jonathan didn't notice anything strange, so he put the flower incident out of his mind.

"There isn't much to do on this end of the island, but I knew it would be later when we left Avalon, and I figured it would be a good place to put down the anchor for the night, have a nice dinner, and get a good night's sleep before we set out tomorrow."

"Where are we headed tomorrow?"

He smiled over at his wife, who was sprawled out on one of the deck benches, enjoying the late afternoon sun. "That's top secret."

Rising, Jennifer came to stand next to her husband. "Darling, what if I give you something in exchange for that top secret information?"

Jonathan put his arm around her and moved so that she was trapped between his body and the wheel. "I don't know, Darling. It'll have to be something pretty good."

She began unbuttoning her shirt and watched her husband's eyes darken as each movement exposed more of her sun-bronzed skin. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers as she smiled in triumph. "You play dirty, you know that?"

Her laugh shot through him. "You always tell me you like it when I get a little dirty." He swatted her backside as he prepared to pull into port, and she buttoned her shirt. "We'll have to make our exchange later, Sailor."

"Count on it."

Jennifer packed up a picnic basket, and they set out for some of the trails on the north end of the island where they had docked for the night. She and Jonathan enjoyed a light dinner, wine, and the beauty of the sunset. Wrapped up in her husband's arms, she felt safe and loved. "Darling?"

He placed a light kiss on the crown of her head. "Um-hm."

"I know I tease you about keeping all your surprises from me, but I really do love all the planning you put into this trip." She felt another brush of his lips in her hair. "You know the best part about all of this?"

"Making love on the boat?"

Laughing, she sat up and turned to him. "I knew you were going to say that." She leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. "My answer is all of the alone time I get with you, which includes all the times with and without clothes."

He rocked her with a passionate kiss. "How about if we clean this up and head back?" Jonathan trailed his eyes from hers down the front of her shirt. "I'm remembering how you looked with a few of those buttons undone earlier."

The man on board the _Romance_ secured the bomb under the bed and set the timer. His instructions were to make sure that the boat was nowhere near land when it exploded. He picked up the photo of the smiling couple and bid them a final farewell. "Mrs. Hart, I'm sorry I didn't have the pleasure of that dance last night. After tomorrow, you'll never dance again. You can blame your husband for that."

He returned to the campground where he was staying and placed a call from the pay phone near the laundry room.

His boss picked up on the second ring. "Yes."

"It's me. It's done."

"When will the fireworks commence?"

"Twenty-four hours from now."

"You're positive this was not just a weekend get-away?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I heard Hart telling someone at the golf course yesterday that this is an anniversary trip for him and the wife. He's sailing her up toward Puget Sound, and they're gonna be on the water for several days. When it all goes kablam, he won't be anywhere near land, and it'll be dark. There won't be a rescue attempt until it's way too late."

"I don't have to remind you what's at stake if this fails, do I?"

"Don't worry. It's not going to fail. By Tuesday morning, Hart Industries will be draped in black, and you can swoop in and do whatever it is you want to do. The flowers with the tracking device in them are still on the boat, so you can watch the blip on the monitor. When it stops blinking, you know the boat went down." He looked at the receiver when the line went dead. With sarcasm in his voice, he mimicked his boss. "Gee, thanks, Carl. Good job, Carl. I appreciate that you took all the risks, Carl." He put the phone back in the cradle and headed for his tent.

...

The next morning, the Harts continued sailing north. The weather was perfect, and the day went by quickly. They'd watched the sun set and the moon rise from the deck, and Jennifer was getting ready to head down to the cabin for the night. "Darling, are you sure you don't want me to take the first watch tonight?"

"I'm sure. Will you do me a favor before you head down though? Take an extra life jacket in case you need it quickly. The weather reports look clear, but you never know."

She grabbed the jacket and came over to give him a kiss just as the timer on the bomb hit zero. The blast threw them both backward, but because they were behind the helm, it protected them from flying shrapnel.

Jonathan kicked into survival mode. "Put on that life jacket, now!" He felt the list of the boat as the bow tipped toward the water due to the gouging hole made by the explosion. Jonathan ran to the storage bin filled with dry packs and life jackets. He pulled out the bags, two extra jackets, and a large flashlight, handing them to Jennifer.

The bow of the _Romance_ was sinking quickly. Jonathan made sure Jennifer's flotation device was secure, checked his own, and threw the life raft pod into the ocean. After yanking on the painter line, he heard the raft hiss as it filled.

Jennifer aimed the light toward the raft, giving her husband a modicum of light on his target. He hurled the life jackets and dry bags toward the floating yellow rectangle, hoping he didn't miss. Next, he looked at his wife. "Darling, we have to jump."

She kissed him quickly. "As long as it's with you."

"Ready?" Jonathan asked, grabbing his wife's hand and locking eyes with her as he counted to three. She nodded hesitantly.

"One. Two. Three."

They took a deep breath and leapt toward the tiny raft that bobbed in the inky dark waters of the Pacific Ocean. Jennifer landed in the inflatable, but Jonathan landed half in, half out. He hauled himself over the edge, and his wife made room for him while digging for one of the blankets she knew she'd packed in one of the bags. Handing it to him, she took his deck shoes off his feet and put them in a corner of the raft.

"Dry yourself off so you don't catch a chill. With the sun down you won't dry as quickly."

"I will, but first I've got to cut this so we aren't still attached to the boat when it sinks." He took his pocket knife out and sliced through the rope. After that, Jonathan took the light from her and shined it just over her shoulder so he could see her face without blinding her. "Darling, you're bleeding."

Bringing her fingers up to her hairline, she winced at the slight pressure when she pressed on the wound. "I must have gotten hit by something as it flew by." She dug at the bottom of the bag she'd already opened. "There's a small first aid kit in this bag."

She pulled it out, and Jonathan took it from her. She held the light while he got out an antiseptic wipe, a gauze pad, and some tape. She flinched at the sting of the wipe as he doctored her the best he could. "It's not perfect, but at least it should stop the bleeding. The cut doesn't look too deep." In typical Jonathan Hart fashion, he made light of the situation. "This isn't exactly the way I usually imagine playing doctor with you."

She laughed slightly despite their predicament. "Darling, you always have an amazing bedside manner." Her face grew serious as she turned off the light to preserve the batteries. "Jonathan, who do you think wants to kill us this time?"

He shook his head. "I honestly have no idea." As he tried to reason it out, Jennifer grabbed the second blanket out of the dry bag and spread it on the bottom of the raft. She used the spare life jackets as pillows and placed the bags on the edge of their little inflatable boat. Thankfully, it was a four-person raft, so they had some extra room, but it certainly wasn't the Ritz. As she finished arranging things, Jonathan pointed over her shoulder as the last of the _Romance_ disappeared under the sea.

Jennifer took her husband's hand and held it. "I'm sorry, Darling."

He kissed her fingers and ran his other thumb over her cheek. "I can replace the boat. I can't replace you." He took her in his arms and just held on as the few minutes before the explosion replayed in his head. He let the tears and the what-ifs come for just a moment before kissing her gently by the bandage on her head.

"How long do you think it will be before anyone notices we're gone?"

"Hopefully, they already know."

She looked up at him. "How could they? We're in the middle of nowhere."

Jonathan tightened his hold and pulled the blanket up over them. "This life raft is something Hart Industries has been working on. This is one of the prototypes. When it's deployed it sends a signal to Viking, just like when the security system at home goes off."

"So someone at Viking knows our raft inflated?"

"If it worked correctly they do, and they should have already put in a call to the Coast Guard. There's a homing device built in as well, so once they get in range, they can find us. The main problem right now is that it's night. They won't search in the dark, so we're stuck until at least morning."

"Well, we have water and food in one of the bags, and we have the flare gun and a few extra flares in the other bag."

"I suppose we should try to get some sleep then." They snuggled tight together and drifted off as the raft bobbed along in the night.

...

Max answered the ringing phone, his voice gruffer than usual from sleep. "Hart residence."

"Is Mr. or Mrs. Hart at home, please? This is Carrie from Viking, and we got a signal that their life raft inflated."

Max was suddenly wide awake. "If you got a signal, then they're in trouble. They're sailing off the coast."

"And you are, Sir?"

"I'm Max. I take care of them."

"May I have your last name, please?"

"Brennan."

"Yes, Sir. You're listed as their emergency contact. We've already put in a call to the Coast Guard. Do you happen to know their itinerary? While we know that their inflatable deployed, the homing device didn't activate. If you can give us coordinates it would be very helpful."

"Lemme get the note Mr. H. left for me." Max rifled through some papers by the phone in the kitchen nook. "OK, here it is. They left LA and headed toward Santa Catalina on Saturday. I know that they was planning on staying in Avalon Saturday night and at Two Harbors Sunday night. On Monday, Mr. H. planned to sail all day toward Puget Sound. At night, him and Mrs. H. take turns steering if they're by themselves. He said they might stop at a coupla ports on the way north, but nothin' firm."

"This, at least, gives us something to give to the Coast Guard. They won't begin a search for the Harts until morning."

"You'll call back when you got more, right?"

"We will, Mr. Brennan."

Max hung up and called Clint Riley. He sounded half-asleep when he answered. "'lo?"

"Mr. Riley, I'm sorry. I know it's late, but I need your help. This is Max."

Clint came fully awake, knowing Max wouldn't call unless it was an emergency. "Max, what do you need?"

"I need a contact with the Coast Guard." The older man walked Clint through what information there was about the _Romance_.

"I've got a buddy who can help us out. You, Jonathan, and Jennifer saved me a long time ago. I'm happy to repay that favor. Give me ten minutes, and I'll call you back."

True to his word, Clint called back in ten minutes, and Max sped out the door to meet him.

They met at the base in San Pedro, and Clint introduced Max to his friend, Rear Admiral Samuel Heise.

"Sam, what's the word?"

"We got the call from Viking about the life raft, but we don't do search and rescue at night. We'll have a helicopter up and boats out at first light."

Max was frustrated. "So we just sit and wait?"

"Yeah. C'mon. Let's at least wait comfortably.

...

Jonathan was searching frantically for Jennifer in the darkness of the Pacific Ocean. He could hear her, but he couldn't see her. He couldn't find her. He called her name again.

Her voice was fainter than the last time she called to him. "Darling, please. Help!"

"Jennifer? I can't see you." Suddenly, he saw movement to his right and swam as quickly as he could, but when he got there, Jennifer slipped below the water and was gone.

He screamed for her. "Jennifer! NOOO!"

"Jonathan, Darling. Wake up." She took his face in both hands, speaking his name repeatedly in soothing tones, but he was so deep in whatever he saw in his mind, he didn't open his eyes. Finally, she yelled his name, shaking him. He bolted upright, trying to orient himself, frantically looking left and right. When his eyes landed on her, he dragged her to him and held on for dear life. His whole body was quaking, and she could feel his tears through her shirt. She went back to soothing tones, even though it was difficult to breathe with the stranglehold he had on her. Running her fingers through his hair that was damp with sweat, she reassured him. "I'm right here. We're together. We're safe."

Slowly, she felt his body begin to relax, and the trembling subsided. He took a long, ragged breath and pulled back so he could see her face. Rubbing one thumb over her cheek, he kissed her with so much tenderness she had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could speak. "Will you tell me about it?"

He rested his forehead on hers. "You'd just gone down to bed, but the bomb went off, and I couldn't find you. I looked, but between the smoke and the darkness, I…I couldn't find you." His tears coursed down his cheeks again as he remembered the nightmare. "I could hear you. You were pleading with me to help you, so I followed your voice, but when I got to you, you slipped under the water and were gone."

She brushed the damp hair off his forehead. "We're all right now. It was all just a bad dream."

He shook his head. "I came so close to losing you. If you hadn't grabbed a life preserver, you would have been in the cabin."

She kissed him gently. "And if you weren't so stubborn, insisting on taking the early shift at the helm, you would have been in the cabin. Those are what-ifs we can't dwell on, Darling. Besides, it'll take a whole lot more than a little bomb to keep us apart, Buster." It got a half laugh out of him anyway, which was better than she anticipated. She scooted back under the blanket and wrapped it around them both. "We've still got a lot of dark left. Why don't we try to go back to sleep?"

"Please, let me hold you a little longer." His voice was shaky, and Jennifer realized that the nightmare still had a grip on him.

She caressed his cheek with her hand. "Take whatever you need from me. I'm right here."

Jonathan held her and searched her eyes, knowing that the conditions were less than ideal but hoping she understood. "I need all of you." Her answer was simple. She brought her lips to his gently. With every kiss and every touch, he showed her exactly how much he needed her and loved her.

...

Stanley Friesen was already at work when he heard the special report on the news. He called all of the VPs into the conference room and turned the volume up on the TV in the corner. The morning anchor was repeating the broadcast, complete with a picture of the Harts from one of the last events they were photographed at.

"We got word this morning that the Coast Guard is currently searching for Jonathan Hart, CEO and founder of Hart Industries, and his wife Jennifer. It appears that their yacht sank in the Pacific Ocean last night. No word yet as to whether this is a search and rescue or recovery. We'll keep you posted as we get more information."

Bruce Dotson, who became Jonathan's next in command after the retirement of Marcus Wheeler, addressed the group. "Hopefully we'll hear good news soon. Until we hear anything official, no one speaks to the press. Make sure that everyone in your departments knows that." Bruce headed up to talk to Deanne.

She was visibly shaken. "Mr. Dotson, have you heard anything at all?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet. Deanne, you're going to be the one fielding most of the calls. If it gets to be too much, just transfer them to me."

She nodded. "I will."

...

As Hart Industries went about business as usual, albeit somberly, Drew Jacobson went about his business with a little bounce in his step. "_Once the Coast Guard finds the wreckage or the bodies of Jennifer and Jonathan Hart, I won't have to play second fiddle to that goody two shoes. Pretty soon, I will have everything I ever wanted_."

...

Jennifer and Jonathan woke in each other's arms, and he placed a light kiss on her temple. They were quiet for a while until Jonathan broke the silence, even though his eyes were still closed.

"How's your head this morning, Darling?"

She watched him carefully, hoping he was feeling better after sleeping for a while. She'd never seen him so shaken by anything. She realized that he'd reacted much the same way she had when he was held hostage in Paris. It was that feeling of utter helplessness. "All right. I'll let you check it when we're more awake. How'd you sleep?"

He opened his eyes and ran his thumb over her cheek. "Better the second half of the night." He laid a sweet kiss on her cheek. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She shook her head slightly. "I don't know how I can be amazing already. I just woke up."

"You are always amazing." He held her a little tighter. "Thank you for last night. I've never felt so out of control, and you somehow managed to piece me back together when I fell completely apart."

She gave him a squeeze. "There's no need to thank me. I love you."

He dropped another little kiss on the top of her head and moved on in true Jonathan Hart fashion. "So, how were your deluxe accommodations last night? Did you find our water suite to your liking?"

She smiled as she remembered a few other awkward places they'd slept. "Well, it was better than the jail in Mexico, but it was missing that squeaky bed aspect of Bacopa."

He slid his hand seductively up her leg, and he kissed her under her ear. "Maybe I can work with Viking to add some sort of sound effect to the raft."

She was laughing as she swatted his hand. "Jonathan."

When she rolled toward him, he took her mouth passionately. He pulled back and smiled down at her. "I'll save the rest of that thought for when we get home. Hopefully, the Coast Guard is already out searching for us."

Sitting, Jennifer reached for the dry bag with the food and water in it. "Well, while they search, I'm going to have breakfast." She opened the bag and looked at her husband quizzically. "Darling, what is this?"

He'd closed his eyes again. "What's what?"

She pulled out a blue velvet jeweler's box. "This."

Opening his eyes, he gave a little laugh. "I forgot I put that in there to hide it from you." He gave her a quick kiss. "Happy Anniversary, Darling." Her tears came quickly, and Jonathan had no idea why. He wiped as many away with his thumbs as he could. "What's wrong?"

Impatiently she wiped her cheeks. "I…I don't have your present. It sank with the boat."

He framed her face with his hands and kissed her gently. "You are the best present I could ever have." He nodded at the box still in her hand. "Now open that, unless you want to wait."

"When have I ever wanted to wait?" Opening the lid, she gasped at the design of the hammered bronze cuff bracelet. It was like nothing she'd ever seen. "Darling, this is stunning." She took it out of the box and placed it on her wrist. When she held it up, the early morning sun reflected off the bronze and the polished piece of marbled pottery in the middle. The small circular piece of stone had an infinity symbol carved into it. Knowing her husband, she looked at him, waiting for the explanation of the design.

He sat up and rubbed his finger over the bracelet. "Traditional gifts for an eighth anniversary are bronze and pottery, so I went with both. I talked with the artisan at the jewelry store, gave him my idea, and he ran with it. Since the infinity symbol looks like a sideways eight, it worked perfectly this year." He held her eyes with his loving gaze. "You are my forever love after all." He gave a little shrug, like the gift was no big deal, but to Jennifer, it was everything.

"This is one of my favorite gifts, and I will always treasure it. Thank you." She gave him a sad little smile after she kissed him. "You'll have to wait for your gift. I'll replace it after we get home."

He lifted her chin and placed another soft kiss on her lips. "I'm sure whatever it is I'll love it."

"We had the same idea."

He laughed. "You bought me a bracelet?"

Giving in, she broke a smile and laughed with him. "No. I bought you platinum cufflinks with a gold infinity symbol inlaid in them." She gave a little shrug. "Great minds, I guess."

"They sound terrific."

"My pretty terrific husband deserves a pretty terrific present." She dug through the bag next to her and pulled out a couple of granola bars and a canteen of water. The canteen was halfway to her mouth when she stopped to listen. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah." He grabbed the last dry bag and dug out the flare gun and a flare. Shooting straight up, he hoped someone would see it. A few minutes later, the helicopter they heard in the distance flew overhead, and within a half-hour, they were being pulled onto the Coast Guard's rescue boat.

"Mr. and Mrs. H! Am I glad to see you!"

Jennifer threw her arms around Max. "I'm pretty glad to see you too!"

Jonathan patted Max on the shoulder. "Hey, Max." He saw Clint across the deck. "Clint? What are you doing here?"

"Max called me last night, after he got the call from Viking, hoping I had a Coast Guard connection. That's a pretty slick idea you've got with the raft."

Max cut in. "Yeah, except the homing thing didn't work so great. They knew you was out there, but not exactly where."

After the hugs and mini celebration of the rescue, Jonathan made his way to Rear Admiral Heise. They shook hands, and Jonathan asked for something completely unorthodox. "My boat was blown up. Had my wife gone down to the cabin when she planned, she would be dead. Whoever planted that bomb did not intend for us to come home. I think we need to give him what he asked for. You don't have to say anything beyond the fact that we weren't found today. That should be enough to push whoever is behind this to make his move."

Heise shook his head. "I can only keep a lid on this for about 48 hours, Jonathan, and the only reason I'm doing that is as a favor to Clint."

Jonathan shook his hand. "I appreciate it."

...

They ran through a plan to get the Harts off the boat without being seen, and Max whisked them back to the house in the back of the station wagon. Once home, Jonathan had a few other things to attend to. Calling Bruce was at the top of his list. "Max, do me a favor and call the office, will you? Tell Bruce that I left some papers here at home and because I'm lost at sea, he needs to come pick them up."

"Sure thing, Mr. H.."

The fact that the Coast Guard hadn't found the industrialist and his wife was all over the noon news. Jennifer managed to get through to her father, who was currently in Germany, to let him know everyone was ok. She wasn't sure if a boat going down in the US would make international news, but she didn't want Steven to worry.

About a half-hour later, Max led Bruce Dotson to the living room. When Jonathan and Jennifer came out of the kitchen, Bruce was floored. He shook his boss' hand vigorously. "I am so glad to see you."

"I'm sorry for deceiving you, but I can't show up at the office." Jonathan ran his VP through what he knew, which wasn't much, and hoped that maybe something might happen with Hart Industries that would lead them to the saboteur. "Have you heard anything? Grumblings about a hostile takeover, mergers gone bad, embezzlement?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, but I'll keep my ear to the ground. I agree with you though. If someone wanted you out of the way enough to blow a hole in your boat, something is going to happen soon. I'll keep you posted. Once I know something, I'll call Max and ask him to come to the office for some reason."

Jonathan walked him to the door. "Thanks again, Bruce." After he shut the front door, he headed upstairs to find his wife. "Darling?" When he entered the bedroom, he heard the shower running. Since he needed one anyway, he stripped out of his clothes and decided to join her.

Jennifer jumped slightly when she heard the shower door open, but when she saw her husband, a seductive smile spread across her face. "Hey there, Sailor. Lookin' for a good time?"

She earned the heart-melting smile he reserved only for her. "I always have a good time with you."

...

The next morning, Max answered the phone as the Harts came into the kitchen for breakfast. When he hung up, he relayed the message from Bruce. "That was Mr. Dotson. He asked me to come in for a meeting with the lawyer since I'm listed as the beneficiary after Mrs. Hart on some stuff."

"Well, that was quick."

Jennifer was already seated at the table with a cup of coffee and could see the wheels turning in Jonathan's head. "What are you up to?"

He looked at his wife. "I'm trying to figure out how to get into the building to meet with Bruce myself."

She tried to reason with her very stubborn man. "Darling, wouldn't it be more prudent to hear what Bruce has found out first, and then, if warranted, try sneaking into the office? You'd hate to tip your hand too early."

He shook his head and smiled at her. "As usual, Darling, you're right."

Her look was full of teasing when she smiled up at him. "Would you mind repeating that, please? I didn't quite hear you."

He leaned down to her level, his eyes dancing with amusement. "You, my beautiful wife, are brilliant." To top it off, he gave her a smacking kiss, which made her laugh.

Max cleared his throat. "I'm still here, you know. You want I should go meet Mr. Dotson at the office?"

Jonathan nodded. "Yeah, Max, I do. Let's see what he found out."

Max came back about two hours later with a manila envelope that looked like it contained papers from a lawyer. Instead, it was filled with some information that Stanley dug up. "Mr. Dotson said not to worry. He told Mr. Friesen he was checking on a few of your recent mergers, like with Tinsen Telecommunications. Mr. Friesen don't know nothin' other than that right now."

"Good. I know Stanley wouldn't say anything on purpose, but the less people in on this, the better." Jonathan pulled out the papers and handed half of them to Jennifer. "Darling, look through these, will you?"

She took the stack he handed her. "Sure. Do we know what we're looking for?"

He shook his head. "Not yet."

Laughing slightly, she began reading. "Well, that narrows it down. Max, would you mind brewing a pot of tea? I think I might need it."

"Sure thing, Mrs. H.."

While Jennifer did plenty of research for the stories she wrote, she found it more difficult to find information when she didn't know the subject. However, as she looked through the reports from the four or five companies that Hart Industries acquired over the last year, she found one common denominator. "Jonathan, who or what is CUCorp?"

"It's a company headed by Drew Jacobson. On the surface, it's a telecommunications company, but I think Drew uses it for some shady practices. Why?"

She leaned closer to him so he could see what she did. "All of these companies were approached by Drew first before they merged with you and all of them deal with communication of some sort. The fact that they did business with you instead of him had to have cut into his profits quite a bit."

"Yes, it would have." He rifled back through the pile of papers he had in his lap. "I think I saw some of his quarterly reports in here." He plucked out some spreadsheets. "Here they are." He scanned the top one quickly. "Yep, CUCorp didn't do very well last quarter, and according to Stanley's very thorough work, Drew has been doing poorly for about the last year or so."

They heard Max working in the kitchen, so Jonathan went to get him, along with a pitcher of lemonade and some cookies. Jennifer snagged a cookie as he walked past her. Max came in shortly after.

"Did Bruce say anything to you about Drew Jacobson when you stopped by the office this morning?"

"Nah, he didn't mention nobody by name, except Mr. Friesen."

Jonathan thought for a minute. "Max, would you call Bruce and tell him you've signed those papers. Ask if he can stop by to pick them up?"

"You got it."

About an hour later, while sitting in the living room, they filled Bruce in on what they found.

"Henry mentioned this morning that Jacobson called about reconsidering now that you're MIA."

"Give Drew a call. Set up a meeting for tomorrow morning. Let's see what he does."

Bruce shook his head. "What are you thinking, Jonathan?"

"His business is in shambles, he just lost the Tinsen merger to Hart Industries, and this morning, after it's reported that I'm still lost at sea, he calls and tries to woo Henry away from us. There's something there."

"Darling, it's a huge leap from bad business to murder."

Jonathan took her hand. "I don't think so." He looked at both Bruce and his wife. "Do either of you remember last year when Floyd Dickinson went down in his plane?"

Bruce tilted his head as he considered what his boss was implying. "Sure, but what does that have to do with you, Jonathan? According to reports it was a mechanical failure on the plane."

"That's what the news said, Bruce, but Floyd was meticulous with his plane. His aviation business was at the top for a reason, and his last merger was one that Jacobson needed to help keep his own company afloat. Maybe he's finding it easier to kill the competition than to take second place."

"We should tell that to Lt. Croyden when we call him later."

Jonathan looked at Jennifer. "I will." He looked back at Bruce. "See if you can set that meeting for ten. If I don't hear from you, I'll be at the office by nine tomorrow morning. We're going to be cutting it close to the 48 hours that Rear Admiral Heise said he could give me."

Jennifer shook her head slightly. "Jonathan, you're a man of many talents, but you can't just waltz in. You're supposed to be at the bottom of the Pacific."

The CEO squeezed his wife's hand. "We both are, Darling, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

...

At 8:30 the next morning, Max met with Bruce at the coffee shop next door to Hart Industries and took the box he was offered. Bruce knew that Drew Jacobson was sitting behind a newspaper at a table in the rear. He'd watched from Rose's stand as Drew entered earlier. To Max, he gave his condolences. "I'm sorry, Max. You can come in and clean out the rest of the office whenever you're ready, but these are the things you asked for."

"Thanks, Mr. Dotson. I couldn't take going into Mr. H.'s office. It's hard enough at the house."

"Please call if you need anything else."

Max nodded, and the two men went their separate ways.

Drew lowered his paper after the coffee bar cleared and said to his neighbor, "Well, it must be official if their houseman believes it."

Max took the box to the station wagon and drove around the block to a parking garage. He opened the trunk, and the Harts climbed out. Taking the Hart Industries maintenance coveralls out of the box, they put them on over their clothes. Jonathan stuck his hand out to shake Jennifer's. "Nice to meet you, Sam."

She looked at him strangely before looking at the name embroidered on her shirt and sticking her hand out to shake his. "You, too, Ralph."

They both donned their caps to the uniform and headed toward the rear entrance of the tower. "Lt. Croyden should be here any minute, Max. Thanks again."

At the executive floor, Deanne stopped the maintenance worker just before entering Jonathan's office. "I'm sorry. That office is off limits."

"I got a call about a leak. I need to get in and fix it before the pipe bursts."

Deanne stepped between the door and the worker. "I can't let you in." Her eyes went wide. Jennifer put her finger to her lips and motioned for Deanne to open the door. "I can go in with you though, and you can inspect the leak." She opened the door quickly.

Once Jennifer pushed the cart through, Deanne shut the door, and Jennifer helped Jonathan out from under the cloths laid on top. "Mr. & Mrs. Hart, I'm so glad to see you!"

Jennifer smiled as she stepped out of the coveralls and threw them in the cart. "Thanks for not giving me away out there." She ran her fingers through her hair after removing the cap.

"Deanne, is my office safe?"

"Yes, Sir. Mr. Dotson had it checked. We found a couple of listening devices, but they were in his office after your yacht sank. None were found in here.

"All right. Let Bruce know I'm here, please. He and I can go through our plan one more time before Drew Jacobson gets here. Deanne, this goes without saying, but-"

"No one can know you're here. I'll go get Mr. Dotson."

Jonathan walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of water. "Would you like something, Darling?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks. What do you expect to happen when Drew sees us?"

He shrugged a little. "I honestly don't know. The easy thing would be that we surprise him enough that he confesses. Since I don't really see that happening, maybe we can fluster him and get him to slip."

Just then, Bruce came in, and they spent the next half hour discussing the possible outcomes.

"I'm going to go back to my office to wait, and at some point, I'll get Drew in here by telling him whatever file I need is in your office. We'll see what happens when he sees you."

Jonathan gave a slight shrug. "It's the best plan we have right now. Lt. Croyden will be waiting outside my office if we need him."

Bruce closed the door on his way out, and Jonathan took Jennifer into his arms. She straightened his tie, and he could tell she was thinking. "Darling, do you think that Drew might react differently if he thinks that you're the only one who survived? Based on what we know, I just would have been collateral damage."

Shaking his head, he ran his thumb over her cheek. "Did you have to put it that way?"

"It's the truth."

"Yes, it is, but I certainly don't like it." He paused for a moment. "That's an interesting idea, though. Your choices of hiding place are behind the bar or under my desk."

She threw her arms all the way around him. "That's what I love about you, Darling. You always give me such fascinating propositions."

He kissed her passionately. "Just wait until we get home, and you'll get an even better one."

His intercom buzzed, and Deanne informed them in hushed tones that Mr. Dotson was headed down the hallway. Jennifer ducked behind the bar, while Jonathan stood in front of it with his back to the room.

Drew and Bruce were arguing when they came through the door. "Look, Bruce, all I want to know is how things will shake out now that Jonathan is gone."

"And I've told you repeatedly that I don't have an answer."

Bruce closed the door behind them as Drew noticed the man by the bar out of the corner of his eye. "I thought we were having a private discussion."

Jonathan turned around and watched the blood drain from Drew's face. "We are." As Jonathan moved toward his alleged killer, he couldn't help but utter the cliché. "What's the matter, Drew? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jennifer rolled her eyes behind the bar. _My husband and his love of cheesy lines_.

Drew stammered. "The news made it seem like you were dead. It's just a shock to see you aren't."

Jonathan's smile didn't make it to his eyes. "I'm sure." He didn't plan to bring anything up about Jennifer unless Drew asked him directly. He didn't want to lie, and he wasn't sure if he could pull off the emotion he knew he would need to refer to her "death". Instead, he turned to Bruce. "What's going on?"

"Drew is trying to woo Tinsen Telecommunications away from us, along with a couple other companies we're currently talking to. He's been using your absence as a ploy to make them nervous about the stability of Hart Industries."

"Look, everyone knows that when the reigns of a major corporation change hands, things go into upheaval. I'm just using the tools at my disposal."

Jacobson's shrug raised Jonathan's ire, so he decided to show his hand. "That certainly seemed to be the case when Floyd Dickinson died in the plane accident last year." Again, Jonathan watched as the other man turned pale. "His son took over but not until after they lost a few key opportunities to you. Key opportunities that kept your floundering company afloat much better than my boat. You think you're going to get away with killing off your competitors? "

Drew shook his head. "You're fishing and trying to trap me. You have nothing, or there'd be cops in here."

The smirk on the CEO's face pushed Jacobson's last button. "That's where you're wrong. The police tied the bomb back to your man. He's singing like a canary right now. Did you figure he'd take the fall for you?" Jonathan figured it was time to play the ace rather than the bluff. Bruce watched as his boss shoved Jacobson up against the wall, pinning him there with an arm to the throat. "And I don't have cops in here because they would advise me not to touch you, but my wife was on the boat with me. It's one thing for you to come after me, but when you hurt Jennifer, there's no way in hell I'm going to let that slide."

Weighing his options, and seeing the murderous look on Jonathan's face, Drew pulled the gun out of the back of his suit and pointed it at the other man's belly. "Back off." He waited a beat. "Now." Jonathan reluctantly did as he was told. "Over by Dotson." The two men stood together. "I am really sorry about Mrs. Hart. She was a lovely lady, but I knew she was probably your beneficiary, and she's no dummy. I couldn't chance that she would come in here and continue running the company in your place. I needed the unrest to buy up stock and gain the trust of potential partners."

Jonathan laughed ruefully. "So you blew up my boat?"

"Not directly. You can attribute that to Carl. You met him at the Casino. Nice enough fellow, asked your wife to dance, left her flowers. One should always have flowers on a gravesite." He took a breath. "Well, a watery grave was infinitely less messy, but the murder of both the CEO and the Senior VP of Hart Industries will definitely give me the chaos I need." As he finished his last words, he also finished screwing the silencer onto the end of the gun. "Think of this as a good deed, Jonathan. I'm reuniting you with your wife."

Just then, Jennifer popped up from behind the bar. "But we've already been reunited, Mr. Jacobson."

Jonathan and Bruce rushed Drew while he was distracted by Jennifer, who ducked back behind the bar to avoid the flying bullet. Jonathan was able to get one good right hook to Jacobson's jaw before Croyden entered the office with two other officers, and Jacobson was taken into custody. They'd heard the entire conversation through the speaker on Deanne's desk.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around Jennifer while the uniformed cops dragged their quarry out of the office. "Are you all right, Darling?"

She looked up at her husband. "Um-hm." He recognized the hungry look in her eyes, and it took everything he had not to crush his mouth to hers. Before they were interrupted to give their statements, she whispered to him, "You really are beautiful when you're angry."

The lieutenant talked with both Bruce and the Harts. While they were going through things, Croyden got a call from the station. He relayed the information after he hung up. "You might like to know that Carl was picked up and brought in as well. He and Jacobson ran into each other in booking, and our boys in blue got a good laugh over the way you duped Jacobson into thinking he was being thrown under the bus. That was pretty brilliant."

Jonathan smiled. "I have my moments."

When Croyden left them, Jonathan turned to Bruce. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done over the past couple of days. You played this all beautifully."

Bruce reached out to take his boss' extended hand. "Trust me, I'm glad it's over. Mostly, I'm glad that you get to take that chair back tomorrow."

Jennifer wrapped her arms around Jonathan's arm. "Uh-uh. We're still on vacation for a little more than a week. Just because we aren't sailing doesn't mean you're coming into work."

His smile was slow and seductive as he looked at his wife. Bruce laughed as Jonathan turned to him. "The true boss has spoken. I'll see you at the end of my vacation."

As the Harts made their way to the elevator, Bruce stopped by Deanne's desk. "What a pair, huh?"

Deanne, who had heard everything through the open office door, nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty great."

...

Jonathan and Jennifer stopped to pick up Chinese from The Mandarin Coin for a late lunch, early dinner on the way home. "Max? We're home." Both Freeway and Max came around the corner to greet them.

"Hey, you two. How'd the sting go?" Jennifer hauled Freeway into her arms while Jonathan filled Max in. Max nodded at the end of the story. "Well, I'm glad you're ok. Sounds like this Jacobson guy'll go away for life."

"I hope so, Max." Jonathan held up the bags of food. "We brought Chinese. You hungry?"

"Nah. Thanks. I got a poker game in Santa Barbara tonight. It's a two-day thing. I can cancel though, if you need me now that your vacation got cut short."

Jennifer shook her head. "No, Max, you go. Mr. H. and I are still on vacation, so we can fend for ourselves."

Max shrugged. "Ok. C'mon, Freeway."

Jonathan and Jennifer looked at each other. "You're taking Freeway to a poker game?"

"Why not? I got his doggy bag already packed, and Lou loves dogs."

The Harts shrugged. "Have fun." Jennifer gave her dog one last ear rub. "See you later, Baby."

Before he left, Max nodded at Jennifer and pointed to the little desk by the kitchen door.

Suddenly, the couple found themselves alone. "Well, Darling, shall we eat?"

"That sounds like a terrific idea." Jennifer grabbed what Max left for her on the way out.

They ate on the terrace, enjoying the unusual warmth of the fall evening.

"So, I'm beautiful when I'm angry?"

Jennifer laughed at the slightly embarrassed look on her husband's face. "Does being called beautiful hurt your masculine pride?"

He reached for her hand. "Not when it puts that look in your eye."

She gave his palm an open-mouthed kiss. "Just so you know, whatever anger you felt toward Jacobson because I was on the boat, I felt also. I don't like it when people try to blow up my husband."

Leaning over, he gave her a sweet kiss. "You say the nicest things."

When they'd finished their meal, Jonathan slid his wife a fortune cookie, while she slid a little velvet box toward him. He looked at her quizzically. "Darling, what's this?"

"Your anniversary present."

"Jennifer, you didn't have to replace it." He gave her a puzzled look. "When did you have time to do this?"

She reached over and placed her hand over his. The bracelet he gave her sat on her wrist. "I have my ways, and yes, I did need to replace it. It was important to me." She emphasized her next words. "You're important to me."

Jonathan leaned over the corner of the table and gave her another sweet, soft kiss. "Thank you." He opened the little box that contained the cufflinks she'd told him about while they were on the life raft. "These are terrific."

"I know they aren't bronze and pottery, but they are classy, just like my husband."

He gave her that million-dollar smile, along with a mind-blowing kiss. "All right, open your fortune cookie."

Jennifer laughed as she cracked it open. Suddenly, the memory of another night with fortune cookies in bed popped into her mind, and she shot a seductive smile at Jonathan. The twinkle in his eye told her he remembered that night as well. He nodded toward her. "What's your fortune say?"

She started laughing so hard she couldn't read it to him. He took the little white slip of paper from her hand and read it out loud. "An interesting proposition will come your way." His look gave her heart a little lurch. "Hmm, well, I told you earlier to wait until we got home."

Jennifer gave him a slow, sultry smile. "Yes, you did. So, Mr. Hart, what exactly do you suggest?"

Standing and pulling her up next to him, he leaned over and kissed his way to her ear, paying special attention to the spot that always made her weak in the knees. What he whispered to her caused a blush to appear on her cheeks. "Jonathan." However, when he kissed her, she forgot all about her embarrassment and laced her fingers with his as he led her to their bedroom to properly celebrate their anniversary.

~**The End**~


End file.
